Watching the Story Unfold
by hungergames98
Summary: Prim tells us how the Games not only affect the contenders, but also the family and friends back home. Follow her as she experiences watching her older sister in the Games, and what she really did all this time back home. Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

I wake up early this morning sweating, with tears streaming down my face. I look outside, hoping for the promise of daylight that the sun brings, only to be disappointed to see darkness flood our tiny house. I jump a little, careful not to wake Katniss, when I hear the howling of wolves in the forest. Those things have always scared me, even when I was little. I don't even know why, but their howls and screams in the night make my skin crawl with fear. On the other hand, they really are beautiful creatures.

I get out of bed carefully, and Katniss turns on her side in her sleep, whispering something about our late father. She's been doing that a lot, lately, and it makes me upset because the more I hear him mentioned, the more I wish he was still around. But this time I don't let it bother me because I don't have much time and I need to stick to the task at hand. In one motion, I swiftly pull on my father's old hunting jacket that Katniss always wears and pull on Katniss' hunting boots.

Of course, I won't be doing any hunting. First of all, it's probably three o'clock in the morning and it's too dark to see anything further than my outstretched arm. And second, even if it was daytime I couldn't go hunting because I was never taught how to. My father died before he had the chance. In the last few weeks of his death, he would tell me that he would teach me everything he knows. Everything he'd already taught Katniss.

After I had gotten over my father's death, I realized that he'd never taught me how to hunt like he'd promised. Of course, I wasn't blaming him for that. I mean, no one asks to be blown to bits in a mine explosion.

But still, something was off. And then it hit me.

I realized that my father had taught Katniss and not me. For a while after that realization, I was jealous of Katniss. All those endless days she got to spend with our father in the serenity of the woods, all those endless conversations and laughs and memories created in that very forest that I was, and never would be, a part of. It was all too much.

I knew from that point on that I would never want to learn to hunt from anyone other than my father. Katniss offered endless times to teach me but I always denied. I would make up countless excuses.

"I feel sick."

"I don't even like the woods."

"I can't kill an animal!"

Thankfully, no one ever found out why I never wanted to hunt. I think if they did, it'd make me even more upset.

Soon after, I made another realization. I was old enough that I was expected to do something that contributed to my family. So that's when I decided to learn medicine from my mother. It wasn't so bad. I really do like helping people. But something inside me always yearns for the forest.

Now, as I'm outside, rubbing my hands together for warmth, I feel drained and empty. Drained of my energy. Empty of my soul. I feel like I'm not actually outside of my house in District 12, but someplace else. Someplace where everyone is free and happy. But my fantasy is soon cut short by the unmistakable sound of a wolf's howl. A shiver creeps up my spine.

Once again, I've managed to get off topic by thinking about all that _could've _been instead of what _is. _I sit down on the creaky wooden front steps of our house and stop rubbing my hands. I look up at the sky and close my eyes. _Alright Prim,_ I think to myself, _Focus. You've got one chance here. You won't get another._ I begin.

"God?" I start with a shaky voice. I clear my throat. "God," more authoritative and louder this time, but still making sure I don't wake Katniss or my mother. "I pray to you every night. I always thank you for what you've given me, even though I live here." With my eyes closed, I open my arms, motioning to where _here _is, as in District 12, hoping He can see me. "But please, just this one time, I ask a favor of you. Just this one time, I promise." I pause and take in a shaky breath. "Tomorrow is the reaping. Katniss and Gale's names have been placed into the reaping bowl too many times to remember. Please, God, if You can hear me, please don't let them be picked tomorrow. I don't know what I'd do if I had to watch them-" my voice breaks at the last bit, but I continue. "Die. I need them. I love them. They've done so much for me and I've done so little in return. So please, don't pick them." A tear rolls down my cheek. "Pick me."

I go back inside and carefully get back into bed, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep before the real horror begins.

**AN:** hah! You thought I'd never be back on here! Well I am and I'm super happy about that! :) I am sooo sorry I haven't uploaded anything on here for about a year, but it's just that I've been super busy this year with school and a lot of family stuff going on, but I am free now!  
Actually, that's a lie. I still have one more exam to do, then I'm home free! My exam is tomorrow, so after that, I'll be 100% free for two months to upload chapters for my new story!  
Speaking of which, I'm sorry I kind of stopped writing Fate of the Games. Like I said, I got really busy. But, if you guys want me to finish it, let me know!  
So, yeah, I really hope you enjoy this! I'm suuupeeer excited to be back on here and writing again; I've missed it so much!  
If you liked this chapter, please leave me a review letting me know. Also, if you didn't, leave me a review anyways because this is for you as a kind of 'I'm sorry' offering, and I want you to like it :)  
Anyways, I hope you all have a fabulous summer vacation and I hope to hear from you soon!  
~hungergames98  
P.S. If you got this far, God bless you for wasting a good five minutes just on reading the author's note. You really are a kind soul. :) okay now I'm done :).


	2. Sometimes Wishes Really Do Come True

My dreams, or nightmares, more accurately, are filled with wolves. Wolves of all kinds, eating me alive. Eating my whole family alive. Even my father, who is already dead. I wake up screaming, only to find that Katniss is already holding on to me. I guess she woke up before me. No surprise there, since I fell asleep around four a.m. Katniss gives me a sympathetic look and hugs me tightly. She asks if I'm okay and I tell her about my nightmare. This isn't the first time it's happened. Whenever I'm nervous or anxious about something, I'll have this exact nightmare. It's even like a weird physic thing sometimes. Whenever something bad is about to happen, I'll have a nightmare of wolves eating my family and everyone I love alive.

I gently pull away from Katniss as my mother bursts into the room with a panicked expression. I explain to her what happened, and she puts a hand over her heart, relieved it wasn't something serious. My mother tells Katniss she's laid a dress out for her for the reaping today, and she gives my mother a hard look before getting up to get ready for what is to come.

It's been like this for a while. This weird thing between my mother and Katniss. I know they love each other, but Katniss has been holding a grudge against her ever since my father died. When he passed, our mother went into this deep shock and she took herself out of the world. It was like Katniss and I had lost both parents, in a way. No matter what we did, my mother was dead to the world. She would hardly get up in the mornings, let alone eat. For the longest time, I thought she really was going to die and truly leave the both of us here alone. Katniss was always so angry at our mother for shutting us out and rarely ever talking to us for about a year. But then one day, she sort of… snapped out of it. She got up that morning and made breakfast like she would've done a year before. It was so surprising, and I remember having the widest grin on my face, finally having hope in the year-long fear. But Katniss… she couldn't have been any angrier. That day, she went hunting with Gale and slept in the forest. The only reason I know that is because Katniss came back to tell me she was sorry, and that she'd never leave me like that again.

Eventually, Katniss forgave my mother for what she'd done, but it was obvious she'd never let her forget it. There are moments when Katniss loves my mother to death, but there are also still the moments where she can't stand her. I tell her to just let it go, that it's in the past, and I guess because I'm her sister and we love each other, she listens to me.

While Katniss is in our tiny bathroom getting changed, my mother and I sit in the silence, waiting for her to finish so I can get ready too and we can all just go to the reaping and get this whole thing over with.

"I thought you'd might like to wear this. I bought it for you the other day with the money we got from Lady's milk." My mother holds up the outfit I'll be wearing for today. It's really beautiful.

"Thanks mom!" I get up and give her a big hug and she giggles.

"Anything for my babies," she replies. Katniss walks out as my mother and I are hugging and I can see her smiling.

"Go on in, little duck," Katniss says, motioning to the bathroom. "It's all yours." I grab my new clothes and head to the sink, closing the door behind me.

As I get ready, a flashback pops into my head from a long time ago. When I was really young, there used to be parades that the people of District 12 set up every year to celebrate another year alive. It sounds depressing, but I assure you, they were really fun. Anyways, the first parade started eight years ago, when I was four years old. Despite my young age back then, I still remember my parents, Katniss and I walking all the way to the core of District 12, where the real party was. It was a long walk, especially for a grumpy four year old. By the time we got there and found a spot on the side of the dirt road to sit down, I was so tired that I just plopped myself on the ground. My father was laughing, and none of us really knew why. When asked, my father simply replied "I've been watching Prim walk like… like… like a little duck from the minute we left home. And the way she sat herself down just now," he pauses to laugh "Priceless!" And from then on, Katniss decided to call me a little duck whenever I was grumpy or angry about something. She doesn't know this, but sometimes I get upset when she does because it reminds me so much of our father, and how it was our thing, not hers. And how she got her private memories with him and I didn't. Of course, I would never tell her that. I don't even want to begin to imagine what kind of guilt and regret she would feel is she knew she was taking away one of the few memories I shared with our late father.

I quickly brush my hair out of my face and wash up. Then I put my skirt and blouse on and I'm all done. I take one look in the mirror and, for the first time, I realize that this could be the last time I'm in this house with everything the way it is now. I think back to my prayer last night, but I don't regret what I asked for. If anyone figures out that I pray every night, I could very well be made fun of.

You see, not many people in the districts pray. This is mainly because, well, there isn't much that they're thankful for, what with the live most people are living. And in the Capitol, it's a different story. I've heard that the Capitol people don't pray or worship any god because they feel superior to them, which breaks the first commandment. Religion in general just isn't a priority in Panem. Most people have bigger things to worry about than making sure they pray every night. They still teach us religion in school, but most students tend to zone out and the teachers don't stop them. I don't even know why I pray sometimes. What's the point? I mean, I'm not even sure if anyone or any_thing _is listening to me. So why do I do it?

I guess the only answer I have to this is that whenever I'm praying, I feel something inside me stir with happiness and excitement. I guess I feel closer to my father in a way. He never used to pray, as far as I'm concerned. But I guess it feels like if I'm talking to someone whom I cannot physically see or hear (i.e. God), then it just might be possible that I'm talking to my father as well. It's really weird, I know. But it makes me happy. And it's sometimes the only reason I want to live at all.

It's a temporary escape from my life and the horror of this world I live in.

I decide that the worst thing I can do right now is feel sorry for myself, so I take one last glance in the mirror, decide that I look decent enough, and step out of the bathroom. Immediately, Katniss says "Wow, look at you, little duck! You are absolutely gorgeous!" The 'little duck' comment sends me right off the edge, and I break down, sobbing. Katniss rushes to my side and holds me close. I try to focus on my breathing and calm down, but it's not working. I decide to make up an excuse for why I'm so suddenly crying by saying that I'm nervous for my first reaping. I mean, it sounds believable, right? Don't all the other twelve year olds feel the same way as me today? The only difference is they're crying because they're scared out of their minds of getting chosen as Tribute, while I'm sobbing because I miss my father so much. I finally pull myself together. I'm focusing on something in the distance, daydreaming. I don't even notice that my mother is braiding my hair like Katniss'.

Before I know it, the warning bell rings across District 12, indicating that it's time for us to leave our homes and go to the reaping, ready or not. For the first time, actual panic of the event starts sinking in and I realize that although the odds are greatly in my favour, there's still a chance I might get picked. I freeze in place, suddenly not ready to go, with my breakfast threatening to make a reappearance. I look over at my mother and Katniss, and notice that they're both looking at me carefully. "Sorry, I-I just got a little freaked out by the bell." With one last group hug, we're off.

It takes us about a half hour to get to the Justice Building on foot. Which, unfortunately, gives me a lot of time to think. Thinking is the last thing I want to do. It means I just freak myself out even more over what's to come. Despite the pleas in my head asking for someone to start a conversation, we walk in silence.

All of a sudden, I get an image of a wolf with its teeth bared in my head. The wolf is snarling at me, saliva spilling out the sides of its mouth. I quickly blink away the image before I let it develop into something more. But I already know that something is going to go wrong. I just don't know what.

We finally arrive, only for me to find out that a blood sample is required for entry. And entry is mandatory. As I've mentioned before, going into medicine was not my first career choice, but I knew I couldn't bring myself to hunt, as it would open too many of my inner wounds. Having said this, the sight of blood makes me nervous and scared. To me, blood should just always stay inside of your body.

Katniss, noticing my worried expression, pulls me to the side and motions for my mother to find her spot in the fast-gathering crowd. "Hey, it's alright. You'll be alright. They just need a tiny sample of blood as a form of identification. It's just a little prick on your finger and that's all there is to it. I'll be right behind you," she says with a hurried voice. I calm down enough to get back in line. I realize that I need to act braver than I actually am. If I'm picked as Tribute, I can't show my opponents that I'm weak. I'd be like bait to them.

I get to the front of the line, and the lady at the desk holds her arm out, palm up, waiting for me to give her my hand. Bracing myself, I do, and she takes a small device with her other hand and puts in on my finger. I feel a little pinch, and thankfully I don't flinch. She then takes the finger with fresh blood on it and stamps it on a piece of paper and says "Next." I look back and see Katniss smiling at me, knowing that she's proud of me.

I hurry along to find the rest of the twelve year olds, and spot Rory, Gale's younger brother. Today is his first reaping as well, but unfortunately the odds are not in his favour; his name is in the reaping bowl twenty-two times. This means that his family gets an extra supply of oil and grain this year. However, this also means that he has a greater chance of being picked.

"Nervous?" he asks me as I walk up to him.

"A little bit," I reply. "What about you?"

"Prim, come on. You know how many times my name is in there today. I have every reason to fear for my life," he says, attempting to lighten the mood. He must notice my solemn look because he adds "Hey, don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. After the reaping, meet me outside of the Victor's Village and we can go into town together." He takes my hand and closes his fingers over mine. He looks into my eyes, and I feel something deep inside me flutter.

I've known Rory for as long as Katniss has known Gale. Our families help each other out, and we are both the reasons why everyone in our families eats dinner almost every night. I go to school with Rory, and he's in two of my classes, so we spend a lot of time together. We're not really in a relationship, but we're also not really just friends either, making it difficult to know where we stand.

"Alright," I whisper to him, scared that if I use my normal talking voice, I'll break down again. "See you then." I give him a quick yet embracing hug and head over to the girls' side. I find my best friend, Astra, and walk over to her.

I hug her tightly, not wanting to let go. She whispers in my ear, "Will you and Rory just go out already?" I give a small giggle even though I want to burst out laughing. It's probably not the best time to do that, though. That's what I love about Astra. No matter what the situation, she'll always make you laugh, even when you don't want to.

The two of us don't get much of a chance to start up a conversation as we hear the music playing, indicating the start of the reaping. On stage, Effie Trinket appears and walks up to the mic, patiently waiting for the music to stop before she speaks. Finally, it stops and she taps the mic to make sure it's working before she begins.

"Welcome, everyone, to the seventy-fourth annual reaping of the Tributes! What a pleasure it is for me to be here today, choosing the names of the young man and woman who will be representing District 12 in this year's Hunger Games!" She pauses for an applaud that will never come. "Alright then, let's begin. As always, ladies first." She walks over to the side of the stage containing the bowl holding the girls' names. She puts her arm inside the bowl, briefly wavering her hand around for suspense for the people in the Capitol watching this live.

In that instant, a million thoughts run through my mind. I don't know what to do, but all I know is that I'm praying for any name to get picked, as long as it's not Katniss Everdeen. This silent last prayer is all I can hold on to while Effie finally picks a slip of paper and walks back to the centre of the stage, where the mic is. She slowly opens the piece of paper and looks at the name on it. I realize I'm holding my breath and start to feel light-headed, so I force myself to breathe in some air. Effie takes a breath before saying the name everyone is dying to hear:

"Primrose Everdeen."

I breathe a sigh of pure relief, until I realize I recognize the name that's just been called out.

It's me.

The world stills as I let that sink in. I don't have much time though, because Effie's calling me to the stage. I look over at Astra, only to find a tear on its way down her cheek, her eyes already red. The people around me move out of the way, giving me a path to the stage. They all look at me in horror, probably relieved it wasn't them, but also scared because they are looking at the girl who will probably be dead in a week, trying to memorize her appearance, holding onto something so that when she's gone and what's left of her body is shipped back home, they'll at least remember what she looked like before the Games tainted her.

The image of the wolf appears back in my head, only this time it appears to be laughing like a hyena. I shake my head and tuck in my blouse, not wanting my duck tail to show. With cautious steps, as I'm afraid I might fall if I'm not careful, I make my way to the stage. On my right, I sense movement in the crowd of still people. I look over and notice the pained expression on Katniss' face. She pushes herself to the edge of the crowd, so she can see me better. I see her mouth the word 'no' and I already know what she's thinking. With effort, I try to walk faster to the stage to try and stop her, but it's not fast enough.

"PRIM!" I hear her shriek. I look behind me and see two Peacekeepers trying to hold her back. She pushes them away and yells "I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"

_NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THIS WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN! _I think to myself.

But, of course, the Peacekeepers usher me away, back to where I was standing with Astra, and I have no choice now but to hold on to her, watching my sister give up her life for me.

"Well, that was quite dramatic," Effie pipes up as Katniss makes it to the stage. "I'll bet my buttons that was your sister," she says.

I can tell Katniss is at a loss for words, but she still responds "Yes, it was."

It feels like someone has punched me in the throat. I can't breathe and I feel like I might collapse. I don't even have time to respond or think about what just happened, because Effie pulls the show together and calls Peeta Mellark from the boys' side, and him and Katniss share a handshake that I can tell has more meaning to it than what I see, and it's over.

My sister is going to die.

And there's nothing I can do but watch.

**AN:** I am so evil, I know, making you wait for Prim's true reaction. :) What'd you think? This chapter was slightly longer than my average chapters on here, so bear with me. A lot of thought went into the deeper meanings in my version. For example, Prim praying to be picked, or whenever she sees the images of the wolves, symbolizing something bad is going to happen. I knew that if I was going to write a story in Prim's point of view, I couldn't just keep the story the same. Well, it is, it's just that the way Prim thinks is different and unexpected from what readers of the original trilogy would think of her.

I hope you're all enjoying this so far. :) It would mean the world to me if you left a review, and it also lets me know that you're liking the stuff I post on here. Even if you don't like this, leave me a review or a PM telling me why. *I promise not to judge.*

Anyways, I hope you're all having a safe and happy summer! :). Next chapter with Prim's reaction should be up soon! :). Until then, bye guys!

~hungergames98

Oh and by the way, a special thank you goes out to **A-GIRL-NAMED-BILLY** for encouraging me to post my stories on here and for being one of the first authors I've read stories from on here. Go check out her stories! She's got Hunger Games fics as well as others! You won't regret it, I promise!

Okay, this time, I'm gone. Bye!


	3. Goodbye

I watch, hopelessly, as the Peacekeepers take Katniss inside the Justice Building. She doesn't even resist their strong hold on her; she just stares at me, looking like she might cry. But I know, deep inside, somewhere in her heart she is looking for the strength not to break down in front of the whole District 12 population. But I know she's really doing it for me. Because she wants me to think I'll be okay and she'll come home somehow, alive. She's so strong, and there are a million reasons why.

As the crowd begins to disperse, I hurriedly make my way into the Justice Building. I only have a few minutes to talk to Katniss before she and Peeta are taken away to the Capitol. _And I may never see her again after this, _my inner demon tells me. I shake my head, forcing myself not to think like that, and find Gale inside. Behind me, my mother comes through the big iron doors as well, and we wait until a Peacekeeper comes to escort us to where Katniss is being held for the time being. Gale lets my mother and I go in to say goodbye first. Once the door to her room is opened by one of the Peacekeepers, I burst right in, grabbing a firm hold on Katniss, and letting myself let out all of the emotions I've kept inside since my name was called at the Reaping. "You have three minutes. Make the most of it," the Peacekeeper warns. I don't know if it was just me, or a trick of the lighting in the room, but I swear I saw a tear roll down the Peacekeeper's cheek.

"Prim," Katniss practically whispers as she returns my hold on her and rubs my back like a soothing mother. Speaking of mothers, I look up and, through tear-soaked eyes, I see my mother has joined our hug and is now holding onto Katniss as well. "Prim, listen to me," Katniss urges. "We don't have much time." She pulls away slightly, and as she wipes away my tears with her fingers, she says, "You can survive on your own while I'm gone. Sell milk and cheese from Lady. Don't put your name in the bowl any more times than you need to. Gale will bring you game." She pulls me back into a hug and whispers "I love you, little duck." I try hard not to cringe on the name and focus as hard as I can on Katniss' touch. She finally lets me go and turns to our mother "And you," she says in a voice that makes my skin crawl. "You can't shut out on her again. She needs you to be her mother. Don't give up on her again." She hugs my mother and tells her she loves her as well.

The Peacekeeper comes back in, signaling that our time is up. I cling to Katniss one last time, and don't let go until he literally separates us and drags me out of the room. Gale goes inside quickly to say goodbye to Katniss. Still sobbing, I get up and am consumed with an urge to go somewhere.

With shaking arms and trembling legs, I run. I run as far away from my life as I possibly can. I don't even know where my legs are taking me, but all I know is that if I stop now, I may never regain the strength to keep running. So I don't dare stop.

As I'm running, I'm aware that I'm seeing illusions of wolves running behind m. I have somehow gotten to the edge of District 12 and I'm running along the fence that is meant to keep us isolated from the rest of the world. Much like Katniss would, I bend over to listen to the fence's distinct humming sound, signifying that it's alive with power. Of course, I don't hear anything so I go under the fence and run to the edge of the forest. I don't really know what I'm doing; I don't remember the last time I've been here.

Since District 12 is located near where our ancestors called "The Rockies," there are a lot of mountains and cliffs here. I decide what I need right now is to be high above the ground to get away from everything that's happened in the past hour. I start climbing a steep hill and it takes me half an hour to get to the top.

Once at the top, I sit down, allowing myself a break to look at the view of District 12. I breathe in a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air. I slowly get up.

Trembling all over, I walk to the edge. I whisper "goodbye" to no one. I close my eyes, put my arms out, and slowly lean over towards the seemingly endless abyss that will soon embrace me.

**AN: **I apologize in advance for leaving you with the biggest cliffhanger ever, but I promise you, it does not end here. Thanks again to all who have read and reviewed, and I always encourage you to review anyways. New chapter will be up soon.  
~hungergames98


	4. A Twist of Fate

_Trembling all over, I walk to the edge. I whisper "goodbye" to no one. I close my eyes, put my arms out, and slowly lean over towards the seemingly endless abyss that will soon embrace me._

"Prim, what the hell are you doing?!" a worried voice asks me. The voice startles me so much that I almost actually fall over the edge to my death. I quickly regain my balance and spin around to find Rory staring at me, wide-eyed with a panicked expression on his face. He looks at me as though I'm a rabid animal, like he doesn't even know me anymore. But then again, it looks like I don't even know me anymore.

I am consumed with an urge to say something to him, anything, even an apology, but my mouth doesn't know how. So, instead I look down at the ground, tears quickly pooling my vision. I can't stand up anymore, so my legs give way and I collapse on the ground. As tears find their way down my cheeks, I hear Rory move closer to me. I feel his presence next to mine, but still I don't open my eyes. "Prim, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Rory starts.

I take a breath and with a shaky voice I reply, "Why are _you _apologizing?"

There's a long silence between us before Rory speaks again. "Look, Prim, there's no hiding what you were trying to do just now. But I would think that you would be the last person on earth to even _think _about doing such a thing. So why, Prim? What's this really about?" He looks at me and I look at him, and the second our eyes meet I know that he understands why. "Katniss," he whispers. "I'm so sorry Prim. I'm so sorry this happened." I can see the anger flash through his eyes. He gets up to where I was just standing and yells, "I hate this place! I hate Panem! And I hate you, President Snow!"

As I realize what he said, I say, "Rory, stop! They might hear you."

Before turning around to face me, I see Rory breathe a few times, to calm himself down. When he does turn around, his face is an unreadable mask, and it scares me. I've known Rory for so long that I can tell what he's feeling almost all the time. Whenever I can't, I get this bad feeling deep in my gut. "Rory, what's wrong?" I pat the ground beside me, motioning for him to join me and sit down.

With tiny steps, Rory comes to sit beside me. For a while, he just stares into the distance, and I'm not sure he's going to say anything until he does. "What you did there," he starts, "reminds me so much of my father." Rory's father died with my father in the mining accident years ago. What does that have to do with me?

"Rory, I'm not sure I'm understanding what exactly you're trying to tell me," I say carefully.

"Prim, my father didn't die in the mining accident," Rory says. Before I even have time to respond, Rory continues, filling in the blanks. "I used to have an older brother named Turik. You've never known about him because you and I met around the same time Katniss and Gale met, which was when our fathers died. Anyways, five years ago, Turik was reaped for the Hunger Games. As you can probably tell by now, he was killed there within the first few days by some guy from District 1 with a sword. There was hardly anything left of him when he was brought back here for the funeral. My dad was heartbroken. He loved Turik so much. He loved him so much that he took his own life, right there in the very spot you were. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember he told our family that he was going to come up here to find game or pick berries or whatever. He'd said he wanted to go alone. But me, being the persistent kid I was, wanted to go with him. I remember how pale he'd gone when I told him. Anyways, he let me come. We were not too far from here when he told me he had to go. I didn't understand what he'd meant, and he just told me to stay there. He kissed my forehead, told me he loved me, and that was the last I'd seen of him. I waited a full hour for him to come back, but he never did, so I decided to try and find him. Soon after I started looking, I found a note attached to a bush. It said 'I'm sorry, but I just can't live in this place anymore."

A chill runs through my spine at the haunting story Rory just recounted. I look up at him, and notice fresh tears on his cheeks. "Rory, I didn't mean to hurt you like this," I say. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me? You know you can tell me anything."

"I didn't want to tell you because, well, I guess the wound was still too fresh, even after five years."

Without thinking, I hug him tightly. Without hesitation, he returns my hug. We stay there for a good few minutes before he whispers, "It just scared me, you know? Seeing the girl I like almost ending her own life. Thank god I was here to stop you." I look up at him and raise my eyebrows in question. He just laughs at me through his tears, leans in and kisses me.

"What was that for?" I ask.

He looks down and says, "I'm sorry, Prim, I-" but I don't let him finish because I cut him off with another kiss.

After we're done, I ask, "Rory, how did you find me?"

He turns slightly red and says, "Well, I figured after the whole reaping scene I would comfort you. I was going up to you, but you were running somewhere, so I followed you all the way up here."

"I'm glad you did, Rory," I say.

"I'm glad I did too," he says back.

Together, we watch the sun go down, hands intertwined, not once letting go.

**AN:** So, what did you guys think? I hope you didn't think I'd get rid of Prim like that. No way! Anyways, I know I left you with a really big cliffhanger in the last chapter and I made it even worse by prolonging it, but I was really busy. *Life Update*: last night I went to my** first** **One Direction concert in Toronto! **It was so amazing; I still have goosebumps and shivers. **THEY EXIST! **And let me just tell you, **Harry freaking Styles pointed me out during the concert... He knows I exist!  
***fangirling over... kinda*  
Anyways, the next chapter probable won't be up for a few weeks, as I have a Marianas Trench concert this Friday and I'm getting my braces off on Monday, plus I'm going on a family vacation Thursday-Sunday next week. Having said this, I made sure this chapter contained no cliffhangers, so I hope that's left you with a peace of mind for the time being. Don't forget to leave a review!  
Once again, I hope all of you are having a fabulous summer vacation!  
~hungergames98  
**P.S. **I will not be the same after last night's concert. ever. o.o .


	5. Epilogue

After the sun goes down, Rory walks me home. Against my will, he tells my mother the whole story. As he tells her, I watch her face change from shock to anger to understanding. Rory leaves out all of the fluff part, though. He tells her how he caught me right on time. Much to my surprise, my mother doesn't round on me and tell me things like "Why would you do something like that?" or "Do you realize how much you scared me being out so late?" or even "I would have been heartbroken!" Instead she says, "I should've known."

With a confused look plastered on my face, I dumbly say "Huh?"

My mother takes a deep breath of air and takes a slow, shaky sip of her hot water before telling me something she's been holding in for quite a while. Rory and I sit quietly while she talks. "Prim, honey, I'm not surprised. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. And I have every reason to say that. I mean, of course I'd never want to live to see another day again, but it's understandable, because I did the same thing." I intake a sharp breath of air.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I ask.

"Yeah, Ms. Everdeen, I would've never guessed," Rory inputs.

"It happened the same way with you and Rory. Times were tough. My family suffered much like it's suffering now. My own sister, too, was reaped. Unfortunately, she was nothing like Katniss; she didn't stand a chance and everyone knew it. Back then, I beat myself up for letting her die like that, and I lived a life of regret for not volunteering for her. But now I realize that if I did, I would've died. When we got news of her passing, I tried jumping off that same cliff, too. But your father was the one that saved me. Now I'm okay with her death. I've accepted the fact that it's happened. But Prim, you've gotta at least give Katniss a chance! I mean, we all know she stands a chance, a big one at that. She's smart, and she knows what she's doing, too. She would never let anyone take advantage of her in the Games." My mother then attempts a sad chuckle and says, "Besides, I have this weird feeling that things are going to be different when Katniss wins."

Through my silent tears, I whisper, "_If _she wins."

My mother brings Rory and I close to her, as if we were both her children, and says, "Sometimes mothers just have these intuitive feelings, so you're both just going to have to trust me."

Wishing with all my heart that that's true, I hold her tight before finally letting go.

**AN:** I'm really sorry for making the ending to this so short, but I just wanted to end it because I felt only a few people were actually reading this. Plus, I've been super busy this whole summer without really planning to, so I didn't think it'd be fair for me to write on here if I couldn't finish what I started.

**Why I wrote this: **While reading _The Hunger Games, _I always wondered what was going on back home with Prim and everyone else in District 12. Of course, the entire trilogy was beyond perfect, but I felt like this aspect was kind of left out; unanswered. So, I wrote this as my perspective of what was really going on when Katniss left. Of course, we could never get information on Prim (like her praying) from Katniss' point of view, since the whole story was strictly in her POV. In a way, I kind of built Prim's character off of what I knew from what Katniss tells us in the books. I added in some plot twists to make it more interesting, too.

Anyways, I won't ramble on and on, but before I go I just want to thank all of you for reading this and those who have reviewed3 . Thanks so much guys ! I'm not sure when the next time I'll be posting is, but I promise I'll still be here ! If any of you wanna talk or need writing advice, or even someone to push you into posting your stuff on this site, I'm here ! I hope you're all enjoying your summers ! Stay safe !  
~hungergames98


End file.
